There are everyday folks who spend their free time anonymously helping their communities -anonymous because they are costumed superheroes! We already met some of these superheroes in the southern US; here are some who protect the cities of the Midwest.
Shadow Hare
Cincinnati. Ohio
Shadow Hare patrols the streets of Cincinnati and attends large public events to watch for crime in progress, sometimes even making citizen’s arrests. He is trained in martial arts and has occasionally been injured in the line of duty. The local police force doesn’t officially encourage Shadow Hare’s activities, as they don’t want a civilian to be hurt, but they don’t condemn his behavior, either. The masked man has inspired other Cincinnati costumed heroes who form the group Allegiance of Heroes. Shadow Hare says he was an abused child and grew up in foster homes and therefore wants to make his community a better place for others. He is often seen lending aid to the homeless in addition to fighting crime and injustice. See Shadow Hare in a news report at YouTube.
Geist
Rochester, Minnesota
Geist patrols the streets of Rochester and Minneapolis to deter crime and works with many charities. In 2007, he stepped in to help flood victims in St. Charles, Lewiston, Rushford and Stockton, Minnesota. His favorite causes are Paws and Claws animal shelter and the Ronald McDonald House. Geist is a co-founder of the Great Lakes Heroes Guild.
Foxfire
Royal Oak, Michigan
Foxfire is a female superhero who promotes the use of the supernatural to fight crime and injustice. From her MySpace page:
I am dedicated to helping those in need, preserving our natural resources, and, most importantly, teaching anyone who will listen about the hidden world, the more interesting stuff that goes on beneath the surface of their humdrum little lives. My goal is to itegrate magic, mystery, wonder and awe back into the modern American’s psyche–which is, at most, a slim chance. Still, it must be done!
Doctor DiscorD
Indianapolis, Indiana
Doctor DiscorD is a member of the Justice Society of Justice, which began as a joke, “a sort of street theater”. The Doctor and his compatriots found there were real problems in the city that they could help alleviate, and the mission became serious. He works to protect the city of Indianapolis from crime, but wonders if the publicity that comes with being a superhero might inhibit a hero’s effectiveness.
Mr. Silent
Indianapolis, Indiana
Mr. Silent is Doctor DiscorD’s crimefighting partner and works to protect Indianapolis. He is an Asian superhero who wears a bowler hat and carries a cane. His name was born of his inherent shyness, but the mask enables him to take action when needed. When not fighting crime, Mr. Silent does what he can to help the homeless. See an interview with Mr. Silent at YouTube.
Razorhawk
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Razorhawk refers to himself as a masked adventurer rather than a superhero because he has no supernatural powers. He does safety patrols in Minneapolis and his hometown of St. Anthony Village, Minnesota. Razorhawk is the leader of the Great Lakes Heroes Guild. He spends a lot of his time working with various local charities.
Captain Jackson
Jackson, Michigan
Captain Jackson has been in the superhero business since 1999 as the leader of the Crimefighter Corps in Jackson, Michigan. He works with local authorities to instill civic pride and good citizenship. Keep up with Captain Jackson’s activities on his blog.
Queen of Hearts
Jackson, Michigan
The Queen of Hearts is a superhero compatriot of Captain Jackson. She works to fight domestic violence by teaching young people how to recognize and prevent it. Her favorite side projects are the Pleasant Lake Playground project and the Michigan Theatre.
The Watchman
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The Watchman does safety patrols and charity work in Milwaukee, and is a member of the Great Lakes Heroes Guild. His sidekicks are the Watchdog and Wonder Boy, who sometimes appear at charity events. See a video of the Watchman in this post.
Coming soon: more real world superheroes of the US and around the world.
Comments (20)
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Who watches Dr. DiscorD?
…wait, that’s not how it goes…
posted by Steve on 8-19-2010 at 11:30 am
Zorro now resides in the University of the Philippines (Diliman). Rest assured that you are in safe grounds while he is around. Also, he helps you carry your books and other stuff. Really nice guy.
posted by Jane on 8-19-2010 at 11:56 am
I live in Indianapolis and I had no idea that Dr. DiscorD was watching my back. Although I’m not sure how I feel about a costumed crimefighter that looks like they aren’t even the toughest guy in their Dungeons and Dragons guild.
posted by Brent on 8-19-2010 at 12:01 pm
Dang, Brent, you beat me to it. If these guys are the competition, perhaps there is hope for a career in masked villiany, yet…
posted by DaCoach on 8-19-2010 at 12:15 pm
Not sure which is lamer. The actual “heroes” or that there is actual guilds and groups they belong to.
posted by Dan on 8-19-2010 at 1:13 pm
i am waiting for the video of these guys getting their asses kicked. This is about the lamest group of wanna-bees who has ever lived
posted by cajun bob on 8-19-2010 at 1:21 pm
@Brent I live in Indy as well and had no idea about Dr. DiscorD and Mr. Silent.
I don’t think I would be able to take either of them very seriously if we were to ever cross paths.
posted by Andi on 8-19-2010 at 1:37 pm
c’mon guys – go ez on em’. Did u actually read the articles? Mostly charity events and civic pride.
What good have u done lately?
posted by HARRIETT on 8-19-2010 at 1:53 pm
I’m with Harriett… even if they won’t really win in a fight, the point is to spread good ideas and morals. Why shouldn’t people stand up in an unusual, eye-catching way and show us why we should strive to better ourselves, and stand up for whats right.
posted by Joss on 8-19-2010 at 2:27 pm
Most of the time, patrolling will do quite a bit of good. When people are being watched they are less likely to commit crimes, so just being around the neighborhood is helpful.
posted by Adam D. Jones on 8-19-2010 at 2:34 pm
Shadowhare got a lot of press in Cincinnati last year. So much so that I HAD to do a cartoon about what will be his ultimate demise.
http://beartoons.com/2009/05/02/bearman-cartoon-shadow-hare/
posted by Bearman on 8-19-2010 at 2:56 pm
Thank you HARRIETT. These other guys were pissing me off..
“i am waiting for the video of these guys getting their asses kicked.” really? What kind of prick are you? Do you always wish ill on people trying to make a positive difference? They’re not pulling a ‘Kick-ass’ here and going out and beating up bad guys. These people are going out there doing civilian patrol.. they’re that neighborhood watch that people are always talking about being a part of, except they’re actually doing… they just happen to do it dressed up as a superhero… and honestly, you might be surprised how often ‘freaks’ DON’T get messed with. And either way the ‘bad guys’ are just real people too.. nothing super villain about them, so why are some of these people so unbelievable to stop them? All I know is if I was getting mugged or harassed I wouldn’t turn down help from one of these people and I highly doubt anyone of you talking down about them would either. Jeez! When you do more to reduce your local crime rate then these guys do, THEN you get the right to say something.
On a more positive and less pissy note… I should tell my fiance about these ‘hero guilds’, he’d probably love it (being the martial artist/nerd that he is) and it would be nice to work at reducing the crime rate that appears to have been climbing in the area.. such petty things too like keying cars and damaging lawn ornaments, stupid vandals :P … but I suppose it only takes time for those little things to mushroom if they’re not nipped in the bud.
o.O I’m too young to sound as old as that last part sounded.. God.. I’m going to be one of those “GET OF MY LAWN! Dang kids..” kind of old person D:
posted by Dazee on 8-19-2010 at 3:02 pm
I think there are reasons people do this besides “playing superhero”. They get to remain anonymous and separate their civic lives from their personal lives. They help charities and are role models for kids. And they meet others who think the same way. Those are pretty good motivations, no matter how silly you think the end product is.
posted by Miss Cellania on 8-19-2010 at 5:02 pm
I’d heard of the Cincinatti-area costumed heroes, but i’d never heard of Dr. Discord and Mr. Silent, and i live an hour north of Indianapolis. I’ll have to ask my brother about them. Also, i agree with Miss Cellania and the others who stuck up for these people. They have the guts to put on a costume and do their civic duty. Personally, i’d like to meet these people and thank them.
posted by TheAgentAfloat on 8-19-2010 at 8:50 pm
@Steve- Very nice
I personally think that they should doing what they’re doing.
posted by Ben on 8-19-2010 at 11:35 pm
Thanks for the attention, but I need to kindly correct you. Razorhawk is the leader of the Great Lakes Heroes Guild. I am a co-founder, though. Thanks again, Geist
posted by Geist on 8-20-2010 at 5:56 am
Thanks, Geist! I will change the text to reflect that.
posted by Miss Cellania on 8-20-2010 at 8:49 am
Geist, since you’re here, are the cops in MN really okay with you running around with what appears to be an electric cattle prod?
posted by Jim on 8-20-2010 at 11:17 am
There’s a sleazy side to the real life superhero movement, too, that never gets mentioned much.
In their own ranks– sometimes in positions of power on RLSH message boards– are instances of flagrant homophobia (Master Legend, Ms. Meow), internet stalking (Black Knight) and pedophiles… which to me is shocking. I expected that if anyone would be locked out of a community ASAP, it would be pedophiles; but they linger on for years in this weird cycle of perpetual forgiveness on the part of soft-hearted moderators.
When I became a “real life supervillain” it just seemed like a fun premise to blog about.
Then I found out what utter scumbags there are in the RLSH– some firsthand with sexual harassment– and decided that someone needed to stand up and say something.
Lots of them are nice folks, a bit crazy, but nice. Many are not.
One thing I’ve found for sure, the more attention they get, the more bloated their egos become. After a while they get kind of monstrous, and care way more about their “brand” than their charity work.
You should interview Tea Krulos, who is writing a book about the RLSH. He’s a balanced and diplomatic guy, but the stories he could tell you would curl your toes!
http://www.facebook.com/heroesinthenight
posted by Agent Beryllium on 8-20-2010 at 9:34 pm
Jim,
Are the cops okay with it? Ummm… I’m not sure. I know they’d RATHER I stick to charitable work and humanitarian aid, and I’ve decided to do so.
But it’s legal in my state. It’s just a dramatic and impressive “stun-gun” with a bit more distance.
It doesn’t mean that I don’t patrol the streets, especially in Minneapolis with my Bud, Razorhawk and a few other RLSHs. I’m just just going to stay out of their cases, which I used to actively investigate (with near-success on more than one occasion.)
But yeah, if I see some gang graffiti, I’ll also make sure that gets obliterated. They don’t own my city, the honest citizens do.
Thanks for asking!
posted by Geist on 11-24-2010 at 6:22 pm